How can we change the behaviour of smokers?
Why do smokers litter their butts?
What are other countries doing about cigarette butt
litter?
What causes drivers to litter
from their cars?
How can we change the behaviour of smokers?
Changing any adult behaviour involves several key
elements, all based on sound psychological principles. The ones we believe are
most crucial in changing the behaviour of smokers are:
1.
Apply
classical punishment
and reward paradigms
a.
By
observing the successful large scale consumer campaigns to encourage the use of
seat belts, to reduce drink driving, and to promote safe sex, we concluded that
effective change occurred only when consumers were exposed to each of these
three steps.
i. First consumers were
shown the impact of their behaviour – in seat belt campaigns with graphic
images and shocking statistics
ii. Second, they were shown
that there are immediate negative consequences of their behaviour, or at least
a high probability of sanctions or punishment. Widespread police presence to
deliver random breath testing certainly met this goal
iii. And finally, because
punishment typically creates change quickly, but not necessarily in an enduring
way, a program of rewards needs to be in place. This can be as simple as social
praise for not drink driving or literally, getting home alive
b.
So to
change the behaviour of smokers please contact us and Vince can explain
how we apply these principles to BUTTsOUT campaigns
2.
Use
principles of adult
learning
a.
Some
adults learn by seeing, others by hearing, and others by doing. The VAK (for
Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic) model of adult learning explains the value
of understanding these different ways of learning
b.
If
you want to know how you use VAK to change the behaviour of smokers please contact us and Vince can explain
3.
Ensure
wide
spread availability of a positive alternative
a.
No
amount of persuasion or threat will cause any change in behaviour if the
alternative is not available readily
b.
For
example, if a community wants to reduce the prevalence of drink driving, then
either public transport (buses, trains, taxis) must be effective, or designated
driver or other programs must be available. Otherwise drivers simply will not
change their behaviour.
c.
Cigarette
butt litter campaigns can learn from this. As indoor smoking bans have
escalated globally, the infrastructure to allow smokers to change their
behaviour has failed to keep pace. This potentially disenfranchises smokers and
makes it even harder to reduce litter. We believe that the solution is
widespread, easy to use binfrastructure - please contact us if you would like to
know more
4.
Deploy
the proximity principle
a.
if a
smoker is within 3-5 metres of a bin, when they finish a cigarette, the butt
has a chance of finding its way into the bin.
b.
But
our communities can’t have bins every 3 or even every 10 or 30 metres, so how
do we ensure that a smoker as a means of disposing of their butt at the time
they finish their cigarette wherever they are? That’s where the proximity
principle supplies an obvious answer - please contact us if you would like to
know more
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Why do smokers
litter their butts?
Butt
littering is a complex behaviour. Many people who would not litter other items,
discard their butts readily. Some of the reasons smokers litter are:
1.
They
don’t regard butts as litter – “they’re only small, what can it matter?”
2.
Lack
of receptacles – especially wherever wide scale indoor smoking bans have been
implemented
3.
Behavioiural
studies report that if a smoker is not within 3 metres of a bin when they
finish a cigarette, the butt is littered
4.
Fear
of starting fires in a rubbish receptacle
5.
Belief
that councils, local municipalities, stormwater drains, street sweepers etc
will clean up the mess
6.
Films
and other media have portrayed casually flicking or dropping a butt as a cool
image
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What are other
countries doing about cigarette butt litter?
By
observing the changing attitudes towards smoking around the world we have been
able to identify a direct correlation to the attitudes towards cigarette
litter. It has also enabled us to chart how the approach to reducing cigarette
litter, by local authorities in each country, is evolving.
Some
of the conclusions we are able to draw are :
1.
Concerns
over ETS (Environmental Tobacco Smoke that causes passive smoking) have spawned
a global trend to ban smoking in public places… most countries are somewhere
along the path towards widespread smoking bans.
2.
Banning
smoking in public places (Shops, Offices, Restaurants, Pubs etc) increases
cigarette litter in the streets.
3.
Litter
Fines are normally introduced before widespread bans, but have little or no
impact on the increase in cigarette litter - unless they are visibly enforced
and are implemented as part of an integrated campaign.
4.
Cigarette
litter is invariably the catalyst for other litter… reducing cigarette litter
has a positive impact on all other items of street litter
5.
Cigarette
litter reduction campaigns have to change behaviours, rather than opinions.
6.
The
countries that have implemented widespread bans are now the biggest consumers
of portable ashtrays.
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What
causes drivers to litter from their cars?
In
addition to the basic lack of appreciation about the impact of cigarette
litter, drivers also have two other issues....
1. Cars, where the ashtray
has been used, typically have a lower resale value.
2. Ashtrays in cars are not
airtight, and even smokers find the smell of stale cigarette butts unpleasant.
The
BUTTsOUT ashtray can be used in a car, it is designed with a single hand
operation, traps in smoke/smell and has no detrimental affect on the second
hand value of the vehicle.
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